because talking is a free action
by kahlen369
Summary: Regina and Ruby end up trapped in a cave, after Ruby decides to help Regina despite protests. When the two are unable to get out by themselves, conversation (eventually) ensues. (RQW 4)


**A/N: For RQW prompt 4, Trapped. Timeline is set somewhere around S4/S5. Not really relevant to the story, in any case.**

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Ruby would wonder how her life had come to _this_ , but considering she lived in Storybrooke, this was pretty much just par from the course. Sometimes, she thought she might've actually missed living under the curse. At least then, they'd had more than a moment's peace before some new baddie of the week decided to crash the town and wreak havoc for some twisted plan or another.

Then, she'd never had to keep track of when the next full moon was, and she'd never known the taste of raw meat and blood on her tongue. Ruby had come to terms with her wolf, mostly, but she could not help feeling just a little wistful on occasion, as she wondered what a life without a wolf inside might be like. _Probably more boring_ , she admitted to herself, after some thought.

Still, she would gladly take boredom over the sheer awkwardness of her current situation.

Ruby had been out on a run, as usual when the full moon drew closer, when she'd run into Regina, with her magical hands all aglow. It turned out that latest baddie of the week had been hiding out in a cave in the woods for some time now. Since she was already there, Ruby had offered her help. Stubborn as always, the former Evil Queen had refused and stalked forward alone. Pretty stubborn herself, Ruby had followed after her. That had probably been her first mistake.

When Regina had started engaging the villain-who was apparently Jafar, of all people-in a battle, Ruby had not planned to interfere at first. She might have been a werewolf, but she still wasn't exactly able to go to to toe in a magical fight. But when a deadly looking spell was about to hit Regina, she had sprung into action on instinct. Just in time, she'd bolted from her hiding place and shoved the other woman out of the way as both fell to the ground.

Her sudden appearance and subsequent actions must've changed Jafar's plans or something, because the next thing they knew, he was magically flinging them into his cave and trapping them there with some kind of spell.

Suffice to say, Regina had been less than pleased with that. Ruby thought she was acting pretty ungrateful considering she had just saved her life, and had said so outright. That had earned her only a glare and no apology. Clearly, even as a hero, the other woman still had a serious attitude problem.

One that had only worsened when it became clear that there was no easy way out of the cave. Magic did not seem to work, and more mundane means proved similarly ineffective. The two of them were trapped, until someone managed to save them.

Unsurprisingly, neither of them had taken to that well. Both of them were uneasy in enclosed spaces, it turned out. Ruby, because of her wolf, and Regina, because, well, Ruby didn't really want to ask. She could guess though, from what she knew, and it wasn't a pretty picture.

So, the two of them stewed in silence, waiting less than patiently for some kind of rescue.

Ruby was pacing back and forth, unable to stop herself from fruitlessly banging at the magical walls every few minutes. By the fourth time she'd restlessly pressed against them, Regina snapped.

"Will you _sit_ , wolf?"

Turning away from the seemingly open air, Ruby threw the other woman a dirty look. "Dog jokes, how _original_ , your Majesty." Considering how addicted to snarky banter the former Evil Queen seemed to be, Ruby was a little surprised it took this long, really.

"If the fleas fit," Regina replied with a sneer, before she shook her head. "Banging against it is pointless. Brute force is ineffective against a magical barrier." Something about the cast in her eyes said she was speaking about more than just their current scenarios. Had the other woman been trapped in a magical barrier before?

Ruby almost opened her mouth to ask, before she decided it was probably a bad idea. It was awkward enough being trapped with one another as it was. No need to push any buttons and incite a fight. Though there was little real danger, now that the former Evil Queen was reformed and more or less a hero. Regina would hardly risk losing Henry's love now by crushing her heart just for a few pointed questions.

Still, they were both antsy enough as it was. Ruby's heightened senses could see that all too easily. For all the other woman's calm exterior, her heart was beating way too fast for it to be real. She could just make out the beads of sweat on her neck that had nothing to do with the heat, and the way her whole body was just a little too stiff and straight, even for her usual regal posture.

Sighing, Ruby figured she could at least try for some kind of conversation now that they were talking. Knowing there was one topic the other woman was always interested in, she asked, "How's Henry?"

Instead of replying, Regina was looking at her like she'd grown another head.

Feeling self conscious under such intense scrutiny, Ruby shrugged, explaining, "Well, might as well make some conversation, right? It'll help make the time pass faster."

Hopefully, Emma or Snow or someone was already out looking for them, but who know how long it would take to actually find them? All because Regina had been a complete idiot with a martyr complex and gone after the villain alone.

"I hardly think _small talk_ is a good use of our time," Regina scoffed, crossing her arms in a defensive gesture that Ruby easily saw through.

"It's not like we've got anything better to do." Ruby pointed out, before adding, "Anyway, it doesn't have to be 'small talk'. I'm asking about _Henry_. That's an important topic, isn't it?"

There was a ghost of a smirk on other woman's face, as she conceded. "Fair enough."

Then, she started talking about Henry. It was small, inconsequential stuff, really. Schoolwork and schoolyard gossip. Little things that would probably be unimportant to anyone other than a mother. As she talked, Regina's expression shifted from one of barely concealed anxiousness, to one of clear happiness.

There was a soft smile on her face, one she only ever got around Henry, and Ruby found it took her breath away. If ever she needed proof that the woman before was no longer the Evil Queen, it was this. Unconsciously, Ruby found herself smiling as well, nerves loosening as she started to share her own small tales, about Granny or the diner.

Eventually, the cavalry arrived, and they were freed from their magical prison with little ill effects. Jafar was still at large though, and Regina was all too eager for a rematch, though this time with actual backup in the form of the rest of her mismatched family. Before she left with Emma, Henry and the Charmings, however, she hung back to speak with Ruby.

There was something like the soft look she reserved for Henry on her face, as she suggested, "Perhaps we can continue our chat some other time, dear?"

Ruby broke into a grin. "Perhaps over coffee?"

With a raised brow and a slight smirk, Regina confirmed, "As payment for your daring rescue, yes."

"Then, it's a date."


End file.
